“A number of guild members have commissioned articles from me for the magazines they edit and the Yearbook listing of my special interests – notably Africa and natural history – has led me to various contacts and a number of commissions. A cruise to Svalbard followed by an article for the Independent came about this way.”

– Mike Unwin

“I stay in the Guild because virtually every year I get work directly through it. Only a month or so ago I was asked to write an article by an editor who found me by searching the Guild website. The pay for that was $500.”

– Anonymous

“Over six years of BGTW Membership, I have secured some €100,000 of work which derived entirely or largely from Guild contacts. Membership has reaped handsome dividends.”

– Anonymous

“I have made good friends in the Guild who have recommended me to PRs and editors on occasions, and I have been delighted to reciprocate. Only this week an editor asked me to recommend someone who could deliver quality copy at short notice and I was able to put him in touch with a Guild friend who did the job.”

– Gillian Thornton

Through being a member of the BGTW I have had invites to trips which have led to commissions and have had editors contact me on a number of occasions via the Yearbook.”

– Tina Ediss

“I easily earn back my membership fees each year through work sent my way by other Guild members and through my profile on the website.”

– Abigail King

“A casual chat at the AGM led to a guidebook commission.”

– Juliet Rix

“I’ve had three commissions in the past year, one after another, from the same publication.”

– Janice Fuscoe

“Within a very few weeks of joining the Guild, a long-standing member asked if I could take over a commission on Estonia which for reasons of illness, he was unable to deliver. It gave me access to a magazine with which I had hitherto had no contact.”

– Anonymous

“I have both commissioned and received work through the Guild and am currently writing regular monthly articles for another Guild member, who is the editor of a website.”

– Helen Ochyra

“When I am commissioning I always look around first for Guild members who are knowledgeable about North America. For although I also commission non-Guild members, I know that my fellow Guild members are reliable, highly professional writers and photographers who are not only good at what they do but honest about how well they know or don’t know the destinations we cover. They also often come up with good, fresh story ideas that we might not otherwise have known about.”

“The Guild is an enriching way of keeping in touch with other writers and

photographers in what can otherwise be a very solitary profession. The Guild can open your mind to new themes, new destinations, new writing and new people – and foster lasting friendships.”

– Lisa Gerard-Sharp

“When you are freelance, contacts are everything. When I am asked to work on a project that either I do not have time to do, or is not my field, I always try to suggest a Guild member who I think might be suitable.”

– Kathy Arnold

“I’ve made some brilliant contacts through the Guild and it has definitely – both directly and indirectly – brought some interesting work my way.”

– Kerry Christiani

“It’s often said that it’s not what you know but who you know. Guild membership will help you get to know the right people in the industry.”

– Roger St Pierre

“I joined the Guild very early on in my career when I knew very few people. Since joining I have met literally hundreds of people who have furthered or enriched my career in one way or another, from editors and PRs to other members.”

“The AGM is an opportunity to forge new friendships and renew old ones. I’ve enjoyed AGMs in destinations as varied as Malta and Portsmouth, York and Tenerife, Boulogne, Cyprus and Oman and have found at least one commission from each trip which has in turn helped to enhance my profile.”

– Gillian Thornton

“Guild AGMs have taken me to Poland, Tenerife and other destinations that I am unlikely to have visited in the normal course of my work.”

– Mike Unwin

“The AGM is a major event on my calendar and one I look forward to year-round. We go to interesting destinations, the trips have a well-rounded focus and we do really enjoy ourselves.”

“You just can’t put a price on the support and friendship offered by other members, in good times and in bad. There’s always somebody out there willing to offer advice or encouragement by email, or listen while you ‘phone and moan’ on those low days when you think that you’ll never, ever work again. And we all have them!”

– Gillian Thornton

“We have some lovely, friendly, funny, clever, talented and entertaining characters and a few – dare I say it – eccentrics in the Guild. They are also supportive, and generous with help and sharing contacts and information.”

– Tina Ediss

“As a stay-at-home freelance, opportunities to meet like-minded people working in the same field are few, and the Guild has been a lifeline in this respect. I’ve made some excellent friends, and received ample reassurance that I am not alone in the struggles and insecurities that come from trying to make a living in this way. And I value the real contact that I have with members of the Guild far more highly than the virtual contact of any social networking.”

– Mike Unwin

“I joined BGTW fairly late in my career and regretted I didn’t do so earlier. As a freelancer in Cambridge, I rarely used to meet other travel writers, and since being a member, I’ve very much enjoyed the contact with other likeminded people, whether it’s swapping funny stories, bemoaning the lack of commissions or falling fees or just having a lot of fun at Guild events.”

– Susie Boulton

“The main reason I am a member of the Guild is because the other members are the closest thing I have to colleagues.”

– Anonymous

“I joined the Guild originally because of the work opportunities and networking potential, but I’ve stayed a member because of the people. It’s great to be able to spend time with like-minded travel writers, and share ideas on work, life, the universe and everything.”

“I have learnt a lot from fellow BGTW members. It has given me access to a pool of expertise and I have in particular valued the advice on business issues, such as how to handle contracts, copyright matters and late payments.”

– Nicky Gardner

“I have never found a large group of more interesting and interested people.”

– Juliet Rix

“The cumulative experience and knowledge of fellow members is a fantastic resource to tap into.”

The Guild

For over 50 years the Guild has been the leading organisation for travel media professionals. We number among our members many of Britain’s most successful travel journalists, guidebook writers, editors, photographers, broadcasters and bloggers.